Life is not just about singing and skyping – there is also business to conduct, research results to present, events to hold. With all of it comes the need to organize conferences and this is when you may think of acquiring a reliable quality microphone. The mic should be able to pick up everybody’s voices and cancel out noises. The list below contains the best conference microphones.
Boundary microphones
MXL AC404 USB Conference Microphone
A boundary microphone is the simplest solution for making it loud – because neither business nor science should be boring! You have probably seen such microphones in business centers or in the movies. The one you can see in the picture is a 10-inch long mic that catches voices of everyone in the room. It has a simple USB connection that works both with Mac and PC. MXL AC404 can pick up sounds that come from sources 25 feet far from it. The red light under the metal mesh indicates that the mic is on.
The device delivers superior sound quality, even in noisy environments. 30 people won’t be able to make noise big enough to crash a Skype or a hangouts call carried out using this hardware. In fact, thanks to MXL AC404, any location that has walls and ceiling can be turned into a conference room.
3 capsule boundary design makes positioning and reverberation easier – these are still important regardless of the room you are planning to use the device in. Some old USB ports don’t provide enough phantom power, so if the mic doesn’t seem to be working, try connecting it to another USB port, a newer one. Built-in headphone/speaker monitoring jack is a great feature as well, but keep in mind that neither headphones nor speakers are included in the package. The package includes only 6 ft USB cable, that headphone jack, and a leather-style carrying case. You won’t experience any latency when testing the device.
Samson UB1 USB Boundary Microphone
The UB1 comes with Cakewalk Sonar LE workstation software. The solid zinc body and sturdy metal mesh make the UB1 a reliable tool for conference rooms, courtrooms, and all other kinds of rooms that require high-quality sound. The microphone is simple and easy to use and therefore perfectly suits non-professionals. It works well with self-powered USB extension cables. A 10-foot one is included in the package.
This is an old model, though, which first appeared in October 2011.
TONOR Conference USB Microphone
The radius is around 11.5ft that enables easy sound pickup from all directions.
As shown in the pic, the model features a backlit mute button. You can quickly mute your microphone. The built-in blue indicator light will notify of the status. The mic remains muted until you press the button again.
The microphone is made of sturdy and durable metal material and the base is fitted with an anti-slip mat which makes it comfortable for use on desktop. It’s compact, convenient and doesn’t require much space.
A great choice for the money.
Gooseneck conference microphones
If you are convinced that a microphone must be as close to the speaker as possible, you will probably find gooseneck mics most suitable options for conference-holding.
MXL AC-400
At first, you may presume that the “gooseneck” name stands for a microphone design that is far from elegant. However, it is not the case for MXL AC-400. With its solid metal construction, the mic represents a very good-looking apparatus that will fit any conference room.
The model can be connected to a power source through USB. It definitely deserves its position on this list!
KLIM™ Talk
KLIM™ Talk – Tabletop USB Microphone is a capacitive desktop microphone. The microphone can be used in conference rooms, meeting rooms, conference calls, and many others. It is equipped with a heavy-duty weighed, shock-absorbing desktop housing, and has a frequency response from 50 Hz to 20 kHz. The microphone has a built-in mute switch.
The microphone is attached to a stable platform. The stand has enough weight to hold the heavy head of the microphone. A condenser is used as a sound collector, which helps to get a wider range of frequencies and a transparent sound due to high sensitivity. The microphone module is equipped with wind protection. The foam pad will help to get rid of extraneous noise and record quality sound.
What else? The sound is mono, not stereo. The mic does not work without a battery. If you put a battery in the wrong position, you’ll immediately fry the preamp – so be careful! If you forget to switch the mic off, the battery will naturally drain. As for the rest, the mic is wonderful!
Shure CVG18-B/C
The cardioid polar pattern picks up a clean and precise response. Frequency response is perfect for capturing fast transients in all locations, but especially on the ordinary podiums and desktops.
The model has a superior rugged and reliable design. The base prevents all the shaking and bending but it is sold separately. This mic requires 48v phantom power.
B for black, C for cardioid – so now you know that the model’s name is short and easy to remember.
Ceiling-Mounted Microphones
When people want to use microphones, they tend to bend down to them. However, sometimes we forget to bend down or feel the need to stand up or, maybe, have lots of papers to deal with that can cover the microphones. In all these cases, it would be more convenient to use a ceiling mic.
ClearOne 910-001-013-W
Polycom 2200-23809-001 HDX
Microphone Arrays
Microphone arrays are actually those same ceiling microphones – it is only that they have jumbo sizes and look really cool. They look like technologies from the future. No boring metal grills that have been around for years.
ClearOne Beamforming Microphone Array
Available in black as well.
Lavalier microphones
The cheapest solution for those who like walking around while talking is lavalier microphones. Their descriptions don’t include the word conference in them and some would even call these devices outdated, but anyways.
Pyle-Pro PDWM96 Lavalier
The disadvantage of this option is that every time you will have to spend some time setting up this mic.